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Long wait at Dover Port


Randonneur

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Spare a thought for us poor locals ..... M20 shut, A20 a car park, lorry on A2 on fire overnight & shut. Can't get from A to B. Drivers & passengers peeing and worse on the verges and throwing all their rubbish & nappies out.

 
Lemmings all descending on Dover on day 1 of the school holidays - no water or provisions in the cars so the police shut the Northbound carriageway as well to allow the coastguard to distribute water.

The good old French who introduced the new border checks after the tragedy in Nice, had just one - yes that was one, border guard on duty at times last night with reports that every single car was being searched. Taking 40 minutes to clear just one coach.

Still, I'm sitting in my garden here by the coast in glorious sunshine, beer in hand, listening to the radio reports of the mayhem on the tarmac and at the port. As my avatar says "What me worry" Tee Hee!

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 Because France is in the Schengen Area, Dover is their only manned land border and their main terrorist threat and weapon import is not from UK  I wonder if this is Hollande's way of making difficulties after his meeting with our PM?
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laimeduck - 2016-07-23 11:41 AM

 

Spare a thought for us poor locals ..... M20 shut, A20 a car park, lorry on A2 on fire overnight & shut. Can't get from A to B. Drivers & passengers peeing and worse on the verges and throwing all their rubbish & nappies out.

 

Don't worry. There's a new campsite coming to you soon. :D :D

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2V44PPUa-M

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StuartO - 2016-07-23 1:59 PM

 

 .. I wonder if this is Hollande's way of making difficulties after his meeting with our PM?

 

It makes you wonder...

Hearing news reports of only 3 out of a possible 7 booths being open, when the intensity of their checks have been stepped up, does seem poor.

(...but a very powerful way of getting their point over? similar to what happens at Gib when that flares up?).

 

Are the UK border control in France (for now!)carrying out similar, lengthy checks for incoming vehicles?.... :-S

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phalange - 2016-07-23 5:33 PM

 

i crossed over from Italy to France last Wednesday with no issues, there was somebody sat in the border booth but they didn't even look at us as we went by. So it must be just Dover the enhanced checks are taking place?

 

 

 

I would assume that is because Italy and France are both in the Schengen area where controls have been abolished - U.K. is not.

 

 

:-|

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PJay - 2016-07-23 7:00 PM

 

Don't know why the fuss at Dover going out. I would let every one Go, but have stronger checks on the return!

PJay

 

 

WE do let everyone go out - it's the French who are being careful about who they let IN.

 

;-)

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malc d - 2016-07-23 7:08 PM

 

WE do let everyone go out - it's the French who are being careful about who they let IN.

 

 

Not so. I was talking to one of the UK security team at Dover last year and he said that they were upping their checks on outgoing travellers, so as to catch criminals fleeing the UK for the more relaxed Costas. He quoted two cases he had dealt with, one was a migrant worker wanted in connection with a murder in London and the other was a bail jumper.

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malc d - 2016-07-23 6:02 PM I would assume that is because Italy and France are both in the Schengen area where controls have been abolished - U.K. is not. :-|

 

cheers Malc, i am aware of the schengen agreement, but if they're increasing security because of increased threats then surely ALL borders will be at risk not just from the UK?

 

 

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phalange - 2016-07-24 8:53 AM

 

malc d - 2016-07-23 6:02 PM I would assume that is because Italy and France are both in the Schengen area where controls have been abolished - U.K. is not. :-|

 

cheers Malc, i am aware of the schengen agreement, but if they're increasing security because of increased threats then surely ALL borders will be at risk not just from the UK?

 

 

Thats the correct commonsense view, however you're dealing with the French. Simples

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vindiboy - 2016-07-23 11:42 PM

 

I would prefer a 24 hour delay at Dover to enter France than to be  killed by terrorists in that or any other Country.

 

But this isn't like queuing for security checks when you check-in on a plane....

 

No matter how long the outbound delay is at Dover(due to checks) , it won't make a scrap of difference to the safety of a country(ries) if all their other borders are "porous". :-S

 

If this was ALL about security, wouldn't they have introduced stricter border checks everywhere else?.

 

(Maybe they have but because they don't affect "us", we just haven't heard about 'em..?)

 

I'm not one for "conspiracy theories" but this is lifted from BBC

Quote:

"The government announced that UK Border Force staff would assist French border police with checks at Dover in a bid to clear the backlog"

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-36877177

(..signs of the beginning of the "border" returning to the UK..?...maybe....?)

 

Having said that, as I asked earlier, what are the "inbound" queues like? Hopefully we are being just as stringent? ;-)

 

 

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Guest pelmetman

A bit of post BREXIT sour grapes from our Froggy neighbours I suspect ;-) .........

 

If they were serious about the threat from terrorism, they'd build a fence around Brussels :-| .........

 

 

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Clearly a political statement following Mrs May's successful meeting with Monsieur Hollande.

 

Why else would a country suddenly go slow on checking inbound traffic from a country that they have no land border with *-)

 

Just for the record France has a land border of 2,889 kms with the following countries: Andorra 56.6 km Belgium 620 km Germany 451 km Italy 488 km Luxembourg 73 km Monaco 4.4 km Spain 623 km Switzerland 573 km

 

And apart from Switzerland you can walk, drive or cycle across all of that border at any time with no checks.

 

Let's hope that our Gallic neighbours feel that they have made their point and after Le Weekend put on a full staffing compliment to help those poor unfortunates stuck at Dover.

 

By the way - be prepared for the reverse to happen in Calais at the end of the Summer holiday - you have been warned!

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We went across to Dunkirk on the 18th June while the football was on & DFDS advised allowing 2 hours to check in due to "Enhanced security checks" then. We arrived at 7.45 am for a 10 am departure - there were 6 lanes for cars to que (buses had a separate lane) & the ques went back almost to the roundabout at the entry to the port. It took 1.5 hours to get through the Frenach passport checks & we arrived at the loading lane 10 minutes before loading commenced. The ferry left on time, half empty.

 

The "enhanced security checks" comprised 3 French Customs officers (for 6 lanes of traffic) taking a very slow, drawn out "check" of passports. It was quite comical - the sullen indiviual moved like he was in slow motion & eventually handed both passports back with a kind of "what are you going to do about it ?" scowl. Maybe because he got a cheerful (through gritted teeth) "Merci" as I took them back that we didn't get stopped for a search.

 

Coming back was similar - only 2 passport booths open (though a 3rd opened while we were in the que). Then there were a bunch of sullen, arrogant private security people inspecting all vehicles. These rude, officious individuals wore fluorescent bibs ithe "ECS" of "EMS" on the back & no uniforms - the thug who entered out van almost ripped the bathroom door off it's hinges.

 

The crossing we took this year was actually meant to happen last summer but, because of the disruption then that flared up just before we were due to leave with the ferry workers dispute we rebooked with Stena for Hook of Holland & defered the DFDS crossing. We only use the short crossing when towing a motorcycle trailer, as P & O NSF just about doubles the fare to add the trailer. When Norfolk Line & early DFDS had the Motorhome Show discounts, at £49 return without trailer / £59 return with trailer, (around £370 return, no meals, no trailer, with P & O NSF), it was worth making the 280 miles each way miserable slog to and from Dover. But this year cost £180 and, with the ability to reduce the Stena crossing by £210 using Tesco vouchers, that is the way we will proceed in future with the trailer, using P & O NSF when travelling without the trailer.

 

This year was the 35th aniversary of our vist vist to the Continent - by motorcycle through Dover to Calais with Townsend Toresen as it was then - and it will be our last crossing via Dover. It seems that every year the French come up with some "excuse" the screw things up at peak periods - in future thay can do so without us.

 

Nigel B.

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